According to the UNDDC Annual Reports Questionnaire (ARQ), the rank of illicit drugs has remained relatively stable in New Zealand over the past two years with cannabis being the most common drug of use, followed by ecstasy and methamphetamine. However, while cannabis has shown a stable use trend since 2003, indicating a continuous strong demand, ecstasy was reported as increasing in 2007 and 2008, following two years of a stable use trend. Piperazines, ranked fifth, showed a decreasing trend. According to Government officials, the market for piperazines has merged with the ‘ecstasy’ market which appears to be the result of the expansion of supply and demand for ‘ecstasy’ (NDIB, 2008). While use of methamphetamine showed two years of declining trend in the general population, based on survey reports, intensity of use has increased among problematic methamphetamine users.

Opiates have been ranked fourth/fifth in New Zealand since 2003 in terms of use with a generally stable use trend for most years. The hallucinogen LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) ranked seventh among drugs of concern with stable trend in 2008.

There is a relatively small and narrow market for gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in New Zealand and this category of drug ranks ninth in terms of use, but with an increasing trend. The first trend data for GHB/GBL was reported in 2005 and the drugs have had a fluctuating trend in ensuing years.

The market for cocaine is marginal in New Zealand with the drug ranking tenth in terms of use with a stable trend in 2008. However, past year use of cocaine showed its highest levels ever recorded in 2006, with 1.1% of the general population reporting past year use.

According to the most recent data (2006), lifetime prevalence for methamphetamine among the 15-45 age group was almost 10% (Wilkins, et al., 2007). However, annual prevalence for the amphetaminegroup substances among the general population has declined since 2001 from 5% to 3.4% in 2006 (Table 94). The exception is crystalline methamphetamine which has remained generally stable since 2003 with an annual prevalence of 0.8% reported in 2006 (Wilkins, et al., 2007).

Use of drugs sold as ‘ecstasy’ showed increases in the general population as prevalence rates, whether lifetime (8.0%) or past year use (3.9%), were the highest recorded (Wilkins et al., 2007). The market of the piperazine class of compounds was established in New Zealand around 2000. Studies reported extensive use of these drugs with annual prevalence estimated at 16.1% in the population between 13-45 years of age (2006) (Wilkins et al., 2007).

The user population for opiates tends to be older with a relatively limited number of new users. The main forms of opiates used on the streets of New Zealand are primarily the result of either domestic diversion or theft of opiate-containing medicines, typically morphine sulphate tablets, codeine-based medications, and methadone, a synthetic narcotic used in the treatment of heroin addiction. In addition to being used per se, morphine and codeine are also converted to ‘homebake’ heroin (NDIB, 2008).

The estimated number of injecting drug users between 15 - 64 years of age in New Zealand was between 0.49% and 0.97% in the most recent estimate (Lancet, 2008). The estimated prevalence of HIV among injecting drug users was 1.6%.